With Fïx8:Sëd8, maybe one of the electronic scene's best-kept secrets has found a new home with Dependent. Through two self-released albums, Martin Sane has slowly built up the status he has with insiders of the scene - in contrast to the modern industrial of 2nd Face whose debut we released earlier this year, Fïx8:Sëd8 are classic representatives of retro electro. Utilising movie samples, intricate sequences, and mid-tempo beats, they lean towards bands such as Mentallo & The Fixer or Interlace, attending to the connoisseurs of the electro scene.
Already the very first sounds of "My Mistress" make obvious where this musical journey is heading towards. Melodic, intricate synth sequences, complex drum patterns, wobbling bass lines just like in the "good old days" as well as appealing harmonic arrangements capture the listener's imagination right from the start.
Sane's preference for the pioneers of dark electronic sounds from Canada and Texas is quite obvious; Fïx8's unique sound, however, is guaranteed by the fact that the complex arrangements are never an end unto themselves, but merely a tool in the struggle against monotony. The bottom line is always a melodic and atmospheric song that consciously needs a concentrated listening and then strongly burns into your mind. The new album is mastered by fellow musician Thorn (2nd Face), which makes "Foren6" Martin Sane's best-produced record thus far. There's also been some progress in the vocal department of Fïx8:Sëd8; they do not only use distorted vocals, but also experiment in a manner reminiscent of the multi-vocal effects of Sweden's Interlace.
Forensics, legal medicine, the science of finding out causes of death, as an analogy of failed friendships and relationships and their 'posthumous' dissection and analysis - what made a relationship come undone? Who's guilty? The listeners find themselves right in the middle of the story, sometimes as an unconcerned witness, sometimes as victim, sometimes as perpetrator.
Voice samples from the movies of John Carpenter run like a thread through the whole album. Whether it's "Baptism of Fire" with its violent bass line and its driving mid-tempo beats, the clubby "Puritan" with its playful synth melodies, or the atmospheric "Hermaphrodite" - every song is vintage Fïx8:Sëd8. Despite its many facets, "Foren6" is the band's most homogenous album to date.
Edition:
- CD
Tracklist:
01. My Mistress
02. Baptism Of Fire
03. Flatline Friend
04. Permanent Memory Loss
05. Section Room
06. Lynch
07. X-Shaped Scratch Mark
08. High Velocity Spatter
09. Puritan
10. Ligamentum
11. Hermaphrodite
12. Eyesaw
